The Coca-Cola Company, a founding partner of the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games, has assembled a star-student team to record a unified song for the games titled ‘Reach Up.’

More than 7,000 inspirational athletes from 177 countries will take part in the game that support children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

The new song has made its debut and will be performed during the World Games.

ESPN is the official broadcaster of the event and will have a three-hour live telecast of the opening ceremony, which will feature Robin Roberts, co-host of ABC’s ‘Good Morning America,’ and ESPN’s Lindsay Czarniak and Kevin Negandhi.

‘Reach Up’ features rock band O.A.R., recording artist Cody Simpson, accompanied by Breanna Bogucki, a singer and decorated Special Olympics athlete from Illinois who has Autism, and Madison Tevlin, a young Canadian woman with Down syndrome who became a viral sensation earlier this year.

Written by Marc Roberge, lead singer of O.A.R., Nathan Chapman and Kevin Kadish the uplifting alternative-rock song encourages people of all abilities to never give up.

Inspired by Special Olympics Unified Sports – a programme that brings athletes with and without intellectual disabilities together on the same team to compete – ‘Reach Up’ embodies the values of optimism, acceptance and inclusion shared by Coca-Cola and Special Olympics.

“In all our lives, we’ve been touched by somebody who may not have been born with all the opportunities we were. At the end of the day, we are all doing the exact same thing - trying to appreciate this daily life that we’re given,” said Roberge.

“I feel like the lucky one, being able to spend time and learn from two incredible individuals - Madison and Bree - involved with Coca-Cola for something as special and as important as the Special Olympics World Games. ‘Reach Up’ is an anthem. I want people to hear it and feel like they can do anything,” he said.

Fans can support Special Olympics by sharing the ‘Reach Up’ music video on social media using the hashtag #ReachUp.

Coca-Cola will donate one dollar – up to $100,000 – to Special Olympics for every ‘Reach Up’ video share using the hashtag leading up to the World Games.

Fans can listen to ‘Reach Up’ on Spotify and learn more about the musicians’ story on Coca-Cola Journey. - TradeArabia News Service